Blog posts by Louise Livesey: 2008
14 August 2008
More on teaching feminism to girls
Further to this (Jessica Ringrose and teaching feminism to girls), Joan Smith has written an excellent column over at The Times. Looking back, I’m amazed at how much we achieved - many feminist ideas, such as the right to maternity… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 August 2008 | Comments (9)
WTF?
Orangina - “naturally juicy” like pole dancing, porn and anthropomorphising animals to be “sex” objects…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 August 2008 | Comments (24)
13 August 2008
Another imprisonment case….
This time in the US, Raymond Daniel Thurmond held his wife and four children in a single width trailer home since 2005 and didn’t allow them out. They lived off junk food and only one of the children, now aged… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 13 August 2008 | Comments (2)
11 August 2008
Some more in the news stories
The TUC have (maybe worthwhile-ly) managed to state the bleeding obvious - migrant women are most likely to be paid less than the national minimum wage The research found: “worrying” trends including long working hours, insecure jobs and poor pay…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 August 2008 | Comments (1)
The Olympics
OK so I’m not a sports fan but I just wanted to note - as no-one else seems to have so far - that the UK’s first two medals were both won by women. Nicole Cooke in the Cycling Road… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 August 2008 | Comments (10)
10 August 2008
News round-up
And whilst we’re on confusions (see my last entry) I Blame the Patriarchy has a good example from Seattle news which confuses the idea of “prostitution” and the idea of kidnapping and forcing into sexual slavery. This news bulletin is… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 10 August 2008 | Comments (2)
Confusion over feminism….?
The Daily Mail seems to have excelled itself in confusion this week. First was Anna Pasternak’s pity-party article about how she thinks responding to life’s events quite well has left her single (her argument seems to be because she didn’t… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 10 August 2008 | Comments (30)
8 August 2008
In better news
Apparently the Home Office is going to ban two chemicals which can be combined to create the date-rape drug GHB. Gamma-butyrolactone and 1,4 butanediol when swallowed together they turn into GHB and are used in some solvents and cleaning products…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 August 2008 | Comments (5)
Can someone explain to me….
why the Guardian is giving this misogynistic killer airtime? Guardian reporter Tom Phillips has interviewed the man accused of killing Cara Burke. Warning *DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS* if you are likely to get upset at unapologetically misogynistic self pity…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 August 2008 | Comments (14)
6 August 2008
Get active
Irrespective of the topic I would encourage people to take this piece at Feministe to heart. Remember: the personal is political. The more we speak up about our experiences, the more people we find who have gone through the same… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 6 August 2008 | Comments (18)
5 August 2008
Some news stories…
I couldn’t decide between “some news stories you might have missed” and “some news stories to make you blood boil” so settled on “some news stories…” and you can complete as you wish. Gold stars for the best endings… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 August 2008 | Comments (2)
25 July 2008
Rape - It’s everyone’s fault except the perpetrators.
According to the International Centre for the Advancement of Reproductive Health (CIFARH) men rape because they lack a “sound religious background”. Now aside from the dodgy methods on this (they asked a general population sample, not a perpetrator sample, for… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 July 2008 | Comments (12)
23 July 2008
Violence Against Women
In case people haven’t seen it, Julie Bindel writes a very eloquent and passionate piece in the Guardian on Violence Against Women here. She’s reflecting particularly on the tenth anniversary of Emma Humphries death and the implications and shortfalls of… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 23 July 2008 | Comments (1)
Race is a feminist issue
This is the picture that has to give us pause for thought. It shows the towel covered dead bodies of two Roma girls, Cristina, aged 16, and Violetta, 14, whilst Italian crowds sunbathe around them. As the Independent has… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 23 July 2008 | Comments (21)
22 July 2008
Street Harassment Specialised - road harassment
Further to this and other posts on the same issues I was prompted to wonder about harassment and violence when driving or driving related. The prompt? A guy threatening to dowse me in petrol today for daring to question his… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 22 July 2008 | Comments (23)
20 July 2008
Apparently men know better….
Gary Nunn, in the Guardian, has committed that cardinal error trying to determine for feminism what feminism is. His target - weddings. Now he makes some interesting points, albeit to back up some spurious argument (like the reason business… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 20 July 2008 | Comments (58)
18 July 2008
Women being held back by equal rights legislation… or by anti-women business owners?
Further to this story, Woman’s Hour had a “conversation” (aka row) between Sylvia Tidy-Harris, the Managing Director of womenspeakers.co.uk and Sarah Veale, Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC. Sylvia Tidy-Harris basically says, as a small business owner,… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 18 July 2008 | Comments (10)
Post-feminism….?
In Surviving Sexual Violence Liz Kelly talks about the Woozle Effect - the notion that something repeated often enough will attain the status of a common-sense “fact” whether it has any truth to it or not. I start with this… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 18 July 2008 | Comments (6)
17 July 2008
In other news….
For the first time the Suzy Lamplugh Trust has issued safety advice to men. Not sure whether to view that as a victory for parity or just a way of ensuring we all feel vulnerable all of the time (note… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 17 July 2008 | Comments (21)
ICC Indites Al Bashir - charges include sexual violence and rape in Darfur
Sudan’s president Omar Al Bashir has been indited for genocide by the International Criminal Court for the crimes in Darfur including the murder of hundreds and thousands of people and the sexual abuse a systematic rape of women and children…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 17 July 2008 | Comments (0)
Welcome to the world….
where crimes against women are fair game for “edgy” comedy. Fast on the heels of Vegas-gate (and I’m really not reopening that discussion) comes Russel Brand’s belief that ringing the Police purporting to have seen a serial sex offender is… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 17 July 2008 | Comments (11)
16 July 2008
Women’s Studies alive and kicking
Further to rather overblown press presumptions that Women’s Studies is dead (see here, here and here, there is good news on the horizon. As hinted at here Ruskin College Oxford is recruiting for it’s Y1 course in Women’s Studies…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 16 July 2008 | Comments (3)
2 July 2008
Another quick round-up
Gosh it’s blogging overdrive from me today, makes up for being quiet for a few days I guess! So….pertinent to other discussions by gendered violence deniers on this site here’s a study from Wales which shows that 4 in 10… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 July 2008 | Comments (4)
Pentameter 2 Trafficking Operation Frees Trafficked Women and Children
The BBC has just reported that 500 trafficked people including 12 children have been freed at the end of the Pentameter 2 operation. Lets just hope the Government does treat the trafficked women as victims of crime and not as… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 July 2008 | Comments (1)
Sexual Violence in the news
Further to this Jill Saward has written this piece on why she’s standing for the by-election. Needless to say, it being a Comment is Free piece so far she’s been described as “pathetic” (robertdaniel), told to “grow up” (GoingGoingGordon), that… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 July 2008 | Comments (3)
1 July 2008
Call for Contributions for New Zine
Is midwifery a feminist issue? How do feminists practice midwifery? What are feminists currently thinking about childbearing? What do feminists think about midwives? This is a ‘call out’ to feminists who would like to contribute to an upcoming ‘zine’ about… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 1 July 2008 | Comments (4)
Backlash alive and well - as if we hadn’t noticed…
Kira Cochrane has written a very cogent analysis of the ways in which women are still discriminated against. I found myself tripping over signs, left and right, that not only does the feminist movement still have far to go, but… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 1 July 2008 | Comments (44)
27 June 2008
Sexual Violence in the news
First off, Jill Saward, campaigner for victims rights and against sexual violence (also the woman who was raped in the Ealing Vicarage rape case but that’s not her sole identity, dammit!) is standing against David Davis in his egotistical by-election…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 27 June 2008 | Comments (15)
19 June 2008
Activism in Action!
Great news from the division lobbies of Westminster where the Ten Minute Rule Bill on the re-categorisation of Lap Dancing clubs to Sex Encounter Establishments was completely un-opposed today. So there is now a mandate to relicense them as Sex… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 19 June 2008 | Comments (2)
Abortions in the news again
No this time because of legislation but because the Department of Health has published it’s annual statistical report on abortions. So here are the key headline facts: The total number of abortions performed on UK resident women in 2007 was… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 19 June 2008 | Comments (5)
17 June 2008
Some early morning responses
Dear Radio 4, Firstly Owen and Amy Philcox didn’t become “victims to their parent’s acrimonious divorce” they became victims of their father who killed them. Lets stop writing out men’s responsibility for their actions shall we? Especially as this was… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 17 June 2008 | Comments (22)
16 June 2008
A few morsels from the world….
Sorry for the rather fragmentary nature of this entry but just wanted to highlight a few things before going back to being deeply immersed in work again…. Firstly Things to Make your blood boil include this piece on Wii Fit… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 16 June 2008 | Comments (9)
5 June 2008
A new paradigm for thinking about prostitution
Over at Genderberg is this piece on a new paradigm for thinking about prostitution. And it’s fabulous! To cut to the core, it argues new moves in Sweden and Scotland are part of a move from a Build-A-Better-Whore paradigm to… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 June 2008 | Comments (7)
4 June 2008
I’d Do Anything - but I won’t do that…
So Jodie Prenger has been named the new Nancy for the christmas opening version of Oliver! Congratulations! But I was disquieted somewhat by the ways in which the women were encouraged to talk about the role. I’m thinking about such… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 June 2008 | Comments (8)
Autism - not just for the boys…
The Guardian has a really interesting article on women with autism. It flags up that the major symptoms of autism tend to be behaviours assumed as masculine taken to pathological extremes (for example social awkwardness or obsession about a topic)…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 June 2008 | Comments (5)
30 May 2008
Misunderstanding the problem of child abuse
On BBC Breakfast news some parents are complaining about a booklet produced by the NSPCC designed to inform children about how to report abuse. The booklet, which adopts a youth magazine/comic book format, covers all forms of abuse but it’s… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 30 May 2008 | Comments (18)
20 May 2008
Iain Duncan-Smith on how to misuse research evidence
The HFEA continues to provoke debate. But on this morning’s Today programme Iain Duncan-Smith (former Conservative leader) gave us an object-lesson in misusing evidence grossly. His argument was that there was “overwhelming evidence” that children need fathers (I’ll talk about… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 20 May 2008 | Comments (6)
15 May 2008
Futher on HFEA
Further to this there are a number of amendments to the Act being proposed lowering the time limit for terminations (with hat-tip to Left Women’s Network. These are (Proposer: Amendment): Edward Leigh MP ‘In section 1(1)(a) of the Abortion Act… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 15 May 2008 | Comments (5)
14 May 2008
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry…
This is the Marital Rating Scale developed in the 1930s to assess wives. Basically it’s a series of merits and demerits based on assumed gender traits (including that women should be subservient to men). Whats galling, and takes this… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 May 2008 | Comments (16)
Jack Straw’s just noticed….
I’ve heard of oblivious but Jack Straw has seemingly only just noticed that our judges are overwhelming white and male. Now he claims he wants to do something about it. Perhaps that will take less time than the 20 years… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 May 2008 | Comments (7)
10 May 2008
1970s feminisms, feminisms now
I’m liking this short article on why feminism needs to still exist from Pasadena Weekly (of all places)!… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 10 May 2008 | Comments (0)
8 May 2008
Women “putting themselves in danger” to sell homes
Shelia’s Wheels, that doyenne of spangly dresses and hairy blokes in drag, has done a survey which found that whilst 55% of women wouldn’t invite a man back to their home* on a first date, 82% would let a male… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 May 2008 | Comments (4)
Ed Balls thinks schools intimidate fathers because they’re too female dominated….
Maybe what he should be arguing for is for more men to take responsibility for involvement in their children’s education and in the low paid, low value world of primary education. Instead he says primary schools (for which read women… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 May 2008 | Comments (8)
And while we’re on the topic….
there comes news of this case from the US in which a woman fought off a sexual assault assailant, only to be punished by a crowd of laughing men with a second sexual assault. Melissa Bruen was walking home during… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 May 2008 | Comments (2)
More on Fritzl
(Dear regular readers, we turned off comments on this and the previous post because of the numbers of comments just generally discussing the case not from a feminist perspective - there are mainstream news blog boards for that. So sorry… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 May 2008
6 May 2008
New poster to tackle prostitution
Perhaps not the most direct or effective method but the British government has launched it’s new campaign to inform men using women engaged in prostitution that they may be breaking the law. So there we have it. The poster, which… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 6 May 2008 | Comments (7)
Anyone seeking better children’s books
Should really go to Letterbox Library which has all sorts of amazing books including themes of refugees and asylum, disability and illess, anti-slave narratives, fostering and adoption and peace and conflict. Also does teachers packs for various keystages. Marvellous!… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 6 May 2008 | Comments (0)
Jezebel coup on airbrushing
Jezebel has paid an inordinate sum of money to bring us this example of the cynical digital manipulation of women’s bodies. It’s a photo of Faith Hill, on the right as it appeared on the cover of Redbook and on… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 6 May 2008 | Comments (1)
2 May 2008
Further to the Johnny Vegas story
It has been pointed out on another feminist forum that the way to really hurt these sorts of men is in their pockets. Vegas is the voice of PG Tips at the moment. Here is their contact page to complain… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 May 2008 | Comments (31)
1 May 2008
How, in the name of all things just, is this not a criminal act?
EDIT: Johnny Vegas has now apparently started legal proceedings over the article by the Guardian, one assumes for defamation but that’s not clear at this point. He’s appointed a firm with a history of pursuing cases against internet publishers (Schillings)…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 1 May 2008 | Comments (35)
Response to Khalid Diab
I Blame the Patriarchy has written a response to Khalid Diab’s call for men to be accepted as full feminists. This guy, writing at the Guardian, is under the impression that, not only is feminism about “equality,” but that he… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 1 May 2008 | Comments (1)
30 April 2008
Announcements….
Readers of The F Word over in (East?) Yorkshire might be pleased to hear there is a new feminist group. Unfortunately they met on 28th (and I didn’t know until today) but there was a piece in the Scarborough Evening… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 30 April 2008 | Comments (0)
Some feminist reflections
Not mine for a change…. Jessica Valenti, over at Feministing, has been reflecting on the recent racism issues in the blogosphere and publishing worlds. It includes this admission. But I think that I’ve been focusing so hard on changing mainstream… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 30 April 2008 | Comments (10)
29 April 2008
OK this is scary wierd, perverse and wrong
(With a hat-tip to Jezebel) A US chat show (Tyra) had a segment really on an 18 year old adult film actress called Summer. Nothing new in that. Except her manager is her father. And her manager is “responsible” for… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 April 2008 | Comments (12)
I just have to share
This is an article by Rebecca Solnit called Men Explain Things to Me and it is in equal measure hilarious and frightening accurate. I advise reading it and enjoying it, and then recommending it to every man you know…… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 April 2008 | Comments (10)
28 April 2008
Elizabeth Fritzl case
Reports are emerging from Austria of a woman held captive for 24 years by her father and repeatedly raped and forced to bear him seven children. One child died. A series of underground rooms equipped for sleeping and cooking, and… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 April 2008 | Comments (51)
Bin the Bunny Tshirts now on sale
According to Beyond Feminism you can buy your very own Bin the Bunny tshirt for just £12. £7 from each sale goes to supporting the Radical Feminist Summer Gathering in Manchester on 26th July…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 April 2008 | Comments (2)
Profiles for the Women’s Movement
The Guardian has profiled Carmen Callil who founded the Virago Press. Carmen Callil set up Virago to publish books that celebrated women - and dreamt of shelves of green paperbacks all over the world. The Modern Classics list gave voice… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 April 2008 | Comments (0)
25 April 2008
Speechless - you will be…
Hat tip to Feministing I have always had a difficulty with the sexism of the Wayan’s brothers’ work whilst at times appreciating their criticism of white privilege. But this put an end to any sense of latitude I had previously… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 April 2008 | Comments (3)
Research into why men think “no” means “yes”
I feel kind of torn on this one because it kind of suggests we should feel sorry for men who are just doing their best to understand nasty women’s ambiguous statements. Or maybe I’m just angry this morning… Anyway American… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 April 2008 | Comments (15)
State of the nation
If you can judge a civilised society by the way it treats it’s children then we’re in trouble. The BBC reports two interesting things this morning. Girls are more likely to self harm than boys and 1 in 5 parents… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 April 2008 | Comments (13)
23 April 2008
We care more about donkeys than abused women
Evidence from New Philanthropy Capital shows that the British public give more money to a single Devon donkey sanctuary than to Women’s Aid, Eaves and and Refuge combined. Yes dear readers that’s more to one group of donkeys than to… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 23 April 2008 | Comments (10)
More nonsense research….
Today it’s reported if you want to conceive a boy you should eat breakfast cereals, bacon and banana’s. For a girl you should go on a diet. A survey of 740 pregnant women found that boys were slightly more likely… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 23 April 2008 | Comments (15)
28 March 2008
Here’s another one to get the blood boiling
Phil Taylor, local Conservative Councillor for Ealing, has been making some rather rash comments about Southall Black Sisters on his blog. Including these little gems: One of the basic chores of being a charity/voluntary organisation is justifying what you do… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 March 2008 | Comments (2)
The F Word Blog Team goes international…..!
Or at least Louise appears on Austrian Radio…. I’ve been lucky enough to be a guest interviewee for Austria’s FM4 radio station on matters feminist. We’ve got their permission to upload the files here. So one is their International Women’s… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 March 2008 | Comments (0)
27 March 2008
Feminism and Marriage
This article really made me smile. I’m a feminist who got married for all the unromantic reasons (next of kin rights, transferring my pension rights to him upon death). If it weren’t that legal transfer without marriage was so difficult… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 27 March 2008 | Comments (16)
24 March 2008
Hilary Clinton’s advice to young women…
An interesting snippet from Amber Tamblyn and America Ferrera (and Hilary Clinton obviously!). Worth watching…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 24 March 2008 | Comments (0)
21 March 2008
Activism - who decides what counts?
There is an interesting post over at thefword.org: food, fat and feminism about what constitutes activism. I consider activism to be any action that serves to disrupt, oppose, or defy the established social or political status quo. The most effective… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 21 March 2008 | Comments (1)
Tatchell on Pankhurst
Peter Tatchell has been talking about Sylvia Pankhurst, which is all fine and lovely, but this line is just another example of how we get rendered invisible… There are no contemporary women rights campaigners who come anywhere near Sylvia’s radicalism… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 21 March 2008 | Comments (8)
20 March 2008
More positive news
The Home Office has released figures showing that the new Specialist Domestic Violence Courts have increased prosecution rates to over 70% overall. Sadly the Home Office is now saying it’s earmarked the £1 million pounds for tackling domestic and sexual… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 20 March 2008 | Comments (2)
19 March 2008
Good news for Rape Crisis
Although not an end to rape which would be the ideal…. Harriet Harman, Minister for Women, has announced £1,000,000 in cross-departmental funding to help save Rape Crisis Centres. AS End Violence Against Women and Rape Crisis has pointed this can… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 19 March 2008 | Comments (2)
18 March 2008
Tim Lott decides women writers don’t need own prize…
Whitbread prize winner Tim Lott has said that the Orange Prize for Fiction, the only women-only award, is (wait for it) “discriminatory, sexist and perverse”. According to Mr Lott women no longer have a tough time in writing and publishing… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 18 March 2008 | Comments (15)
17 March 2008
Other sexual violence news stories
The first charges have been brought on Jersey. Gordon Claude Wateridge has been charged with sexual assaults of girls between 1969 and 1979 when he was warden at Haut de la Garenne. Oklahoma has decided that a man putting his… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 17 March 2008 | Comments (4)
Eton students accussed of sexual assault
This story in The Times has prompted an avalanche of responses (about which more later). The basic story is that four Eton boys have been suspended and are under internal investigation for sexual assault and theft from a girl from… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 17 March 2008 | Comments (9)
11 March 2008
News from the TUC
This just in… *bong* (aka Big Ben sound effects) Motherhood affects women’s pay *bong* Women without children most likely to be doing unpaid overtime On the former research has shown that having children results in a drop in pay of… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 March 2008 | Comments (1)
News Coverage more reflection
I was passed a local newspaper by a student of mine the other week. She was (rightly) questioning the contradictions of two stories within the paper. The paper was the Oxford Mail, but it’s not alone in struggling to cover… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 March 2008 | Comments (1)
Women organising around rape…
Two quick news items on this…. Constance McCullagh has written in the New Statesman about her experience of using Rape Crisis 20 years ago and her concerns about women (and men) who need the service now. From The New Statesman… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 March 2008 | Comments (0)
10 March 2008
The right to choose…
There is an interesting piece over at the Guardian about one woman’s decision to not have the Down’s Syndrome amnio test. But if, like me, you are a disabled mother-to-be, there will be one more question from the well-meaning inquirer…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 10 March 2008 | Comments (4)
Hat tip to Menstraual Poetry
For highlighting this ad for Wii. There is so little I can say about this I won’t even bother trying. Please someone tell me it’s a hoax…..?… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 10 March 2008 | Comments (10)
How (not) to get women into your industry…
The European Union information society commissioner, Viviane Reding, has argued that the ICT industry needs to promote itself on the basis of not being boring but rather that: “IT jobs can be very sexy indeed.” Yes because that’s what’s driving… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 10 March 2008 | Comments (4)
9 March 2008
Taking racism seriously…
Feministe.com has Put up a list of how people try to avoid dealing with racism, it’s fab and so I’m putting the highlights here…. The Bootstrap Myth “Racism is a thing of the past… this is a free country, and… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 9 March 2008 | Comments (3)
IWD round-up from across the world
Here’s some of the news stories from around the world on and around International Women’s Day… Starting over in Jersey, there was a vigil for the victims at the Haut de la Garenne children’s home. It was designed to break:… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 9 March 2008 | Comments (1)
7 March 2008
Sex Toys and Texas
We can sell something that looks like a penis as long as it doesn’t vibrate and something which vibrates so long as it doesn’t look like a penis Rightwing legislators are trying to strike down the de-criminalisation of sex toys… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 7 March 2008 | Comments (3)
Amnesty on girls and schooling
A global review by Amnesty International of girls experience of schooling has found that The World Health Organisation found the most common place where sexual harassment and coercion are experienced is in school 50% of schoolgirls in Malawi said they… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 7 March 2008 | Comments (0)
Round-up of thoughts on womanhood and feminism….
So let’s start with womanhood shall we…. According to Penelop Trunk at Boston.com we should be planning to have children earlier as Generation X is suffering from increased infertility. Of course she offers no evidence for this whatsoever, relying instead… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 7 March 2008 | Comments (1)
5 March 2008
And the list continues….
The Guardian reports that Karl Taylor has been convicted of murdering Kate Beagley on their “first date”. I put that in inverted commas because often a friendly relationship is called “dating” in Court and I don’t know whether this was… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 March 2008 | Comments (4)
Feminist In-Fighting
Rebecca Walker (daughter of Alice and founder of Third Wave Foundation) has written a piece about why some in-fighting is kind of important. She’s an eloquent writer but I will try to summarise her main points: 1. The exclusionary practices… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 March 2008 | Comments (1)
Shoes maketh the (wo)man…
Sarah Sands has written a piece in The Independent about how feet and shoes have become a marker of feminine identity. “The pain that women endure for beautiful shoes is, like childbirth, unknown to men…High heels are to us what… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 March 2008 | Comments (3)
4 March 2008
Name and Shame them….
I am continually frustrated by people who can’t get my name right, I mean it’s not difficult, it’s not double barrelled (which leads to with or without hyphen dilemmas), it’s not oddly spelt, it’s not got silent letters none of… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 March 2008 | Comments (31)
Sexist Language Continued
With reference to Jess’s fab post on feminists destroying the English Language there is a fab article here on Why Sexist Language Matters…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 March 2008 | Comments (1)
What it’s really like to be fat…
The Guardian published an article over the weekend on one woman’s experiences of what it’s like to be fat. It contained this vignette: We were on the ferry, returning from a break in Ireland, queueing for food. When I saw… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 March 2008 | Comments (0)
Have things changed?
Over at SmartGirlsKnow there is a republication of a 1943 tips sheet for managers of how to get more out of their workers. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 March 2008 | Comments (1)
And whilst we’re on the visual stuff….
This is Playboy’s latest wheeze. Not only is this profoundly insulting to women and intrusive (note it’s outside their store) but it also reduces men to the level of sniggering pre-pubescent’s. Insulting all round……. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 March 2008 | Comments (5)
New Rape Crisis Scotland campaign - speaks for itself really…
The new campaign comes in response to an evaluation report on whether questioning practices had changed since barristers had to request permission to question on prior sexual experiences. In coming to a decision on whether or not the evidence… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 4 March 2008 | Comments (3)
3 March 2008
Create a hero - create a stereotype!
Some interesting reflections arise out of NBCs “Create a Hero” exercise. Perusing the results has got me thinking. For example, Week 1 asked about looks, nationality and location and created these results: Male Hero Birth Place: 43% The Americas (43%)… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 3 March 2008 | Comments (0)
2 March 2008
Conservatives new policy
David Cameron has apparently promised that a third of ministerial posts will go to women if he’s elected. That’s obviously a comfort given we make up 52% of the population and given the Conservatives are likely to elect less than… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 March 2008 | Comments (6)
Ratzinger bans “feminist” interpretations
The Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, has outlawed use of “feminist alterations” such as refering to God as “the creator” rather than “the father, son and holy spirit”. The Vatican decreed that anyone being baptised using alternate phrases such as “creator”, “redeemer”… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 March 2008 | Comments (2)
Feminism and music - the same old stereotypes
According to AOL music whilst the Spice Girls were about “fun feminism” (I assume as opposed to the un-fun nasty dour sort) we have now entered a phase of music being about male sexual titillation. Now, of course, you could… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 2 March 2008 | Comments (2)
29 February 2008
Alison’s Cycle
There is a moving and interesting film over at Menstrual Poetry - a poetry cycle reflecting on one woman’s experience of abuse and life-experience. “Alison’s Cycle” is a reading of poetry from inside of the soul that reflects 5 days… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 February 2008 | Comments (3)
Bit of a news round-up
Disparate stories but all worth a mention…. First, and rather worryingly, a Nigerian State Assembly member beat a female opposition politician into a coma for behaving “like a prostitute” because she repeatedly criticised him on the radio. Alhaji Labaran Abdu… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 February 2008 | Comments (1)
And whilst I am on a roll….
There’s an really interesting piece over at Mama(e) in Transition about the way society and feminism talks (or ignores) motherhood and, in particular, birth mothers in adoption issues…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 February 2008 | Comments (0)
Map of Gaps in Violence Against Women Services
EVAW (End Violence Against Women) has produced a lovely set of pictoral representations of where services for women experiencing violence against women are lacking (and good). Here are some of their findings… A third of local authorities in the UK… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 February 2008 | Comments (0)
Not one of those feminists….
I’ll never forget one birthday party I had a few years ago where an old schoolfriend of mine had brought her new boyfriend. We’d chatted for a while, he’d been talking geek stuff with my then boyfriend and then I… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 February 2008 | Comments (2)
Southall Black Sisters (the saga continued)
It’s not often we recommend an article by a bloke, but Sunny Hundal has written a great piece on why Southall Black Sisters is a. important and b. meeting government aims but c. still being delisted for funding. The protest… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 29 February 2008 | Comments (1)
28 February 2008
Taking forced marriage seriously….?
Yes but only as a way to curb immigration apparently. Rahila Gupta has written on just this topic: how the proposed Forced Marriage legislation is actually a way of limiting immigration dressed up as protecting women’s rights. You can read… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 February 2008 | Comments (0)
BBC Moral Maze
In a week where Levi Bellfield, Stephen Wright and Mark Dixie were sentences for the rapes and murders of women - an extreme version of the rampant misogyny in society - the BBC seems to have taken a rather odd… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 February 2008 | Comments (3)
27 February 2008
“In a misogynist world, women just can’t win.”
Kira Cochrane has written an interesting article in the light of Levi Bellfield’s conviction for the murder and attempted murder of three women. But she starts with, what appears to me, to be a redundant question - “how could it… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 27 February 2008 | Comments (6)
26 February 2008
This is what a feminist looks like….
Photographer Patricia Nuss has been compiling pictures of feminists and short written statements about their feminism. It’s an interesting snapshot. Well worth a look but this is my favourite: I was the girl who said, “no. I am not a… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 26 February 2008 | Comments (7)
Sexism and the Oscars
Sarah Churchwell has written a thought-provoking article over at Comment is Free about how women lose out at the Oscars unless it’s ring-fenced as a woman’s award. In 1928, at the first Academy Awards, there were 15 categories. Men won… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 26 February 2008 | Comments (8)
Points with a Purpose
Not the latest Nectar card offer but an initiative in the US to create a pointillist work of art in which each dot in the main picture represents a survivor of sexual violence and each dot in the surrounding area… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 26 February 2008 | Comments (0)
25 February 2008
Hands Project - call for participants (women only)
‘I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It’s amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.’ D.H Lawrence This is an invitation for women to participate… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 February 2008 | Comments (4)
Women’s Lives in Afghanistan worse now than under Taliban
According to a new report women’s lives have become significantly worse since the Allied Forces invasion of Afghanistan than they were before. The ongoing war and consequent rise in poverty is leading to greater numbers of families selling their daughters,… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 February 2008 | Comments (1)
Mixed feelings over HIV prevention gel…
On the one hand I am ecstatic that researchers seem to have got a step closer to finding a new way to prevent the spread of HIV. On the other hand I am saddened that scientific research again privileges men’s… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 25 February 2008 | Comments (1)
22 February 2008
Comic Books and Racism
There is an excellent post over at Racialicious pointing out the whitewashing comic book character Vixen from black woman to white woman. The original Vixen is on the left, the new version on the right (right hand character). Apparently this… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 22 February 2008 | Comments (3)
21 February 2008
This edition of Newsnight was brought to you by the actions splutter and the words “what the…?”
Anyone else just seen it? The programme was covering the sentencing of Steve Wright for the murder of five women in Ipswich. Now other than their continued and insistence that these weren’t women but “prostitutes” (as if engaging in sex… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 21 February 2008 | Comments (16)
Reflection on the US nominations process
It just occurred to me, whilst catching up on my blog reading, that this is the first US election I’ve seen where Race and Gender are words used during the campaign (rather than afterwards to explain why millions of voters… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 21 February 2008 | Comments (1)
20 February 2008
Vaginal orgasm - truth or myth - scientists claim to have the answer…
Way back in 1970 Anna Koedt wrote The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm arguing that the vagina is not designed as a pleasure centre and therefore attributions of frigidity based on not reaching vaginal climax (as opposed to clitoral… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 20 February 2008 | Comments (5)
Robin Morgan on Clinton v Obama
Robin Morgan has written an excellent piece on Comment Is Free about the Democrat race for nomination and pointing up some of the fallacies of the campaign and what real social change would mean. For example: Goodbye to pretending the… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 20 February 2008 | Comments (3)
19 February 2008
Let’s all say “yay!” for Ellen Page
Actor Ellen Page, hot on the heels of her success in Hard Candy has dismissed questions that her new film, Juno is pro-life. “I call myself a feminist when people ask me if I am, and of course I am… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 19 February 2008 | Comments (4)
BBC 6 Music Chief needs to get a clue
Leslie Douglas, head of popular music at BBC 6 (and also Head of BBC2) has said “”It’s partly how you talk about music. Men tend to be more interested in the intellectual side of the music, the tracks, where albums… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 19 February 2008 | Comments (14)
Images of Black Women Film Festival
Various offerings at this Festival including: 1st March ‘Talk to Me’ by US women director Kasi Lemmons (Tricycle Theatre) 2nd Mar Beah: A Black Women Speaks highlighting women’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and programme of films by african… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 19 February 2008 | Comments (0)
14 February 2008
Normally I’m with Linda Smith on this*
Australian MP Bob Such has claimed that women wearing certain tshirts are encouraging sex attacks (he doesn’t seem to specify whether against themselves or other women) and demeaning their sex. According to him “some clothing could lead to men… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 February 2008 | Comments (3)
More on rape as a tool of war
In the same week the UN Security Council condemns the use of children as soliders and sexual violence against them as a tool of war, it is reported that the Kenyan conflict is utilising rape of women and children (some… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 February 2008 | Comments (4)
Celebrate the small stuff no matter how temporary
John Kampfner has resigned from the editorship of the New Statesman. This is not what I am celebrating. What is worth celebrating, no matter how little significance the Guardian gives it*, is that Sue Matthias, deputy editor, is taking over… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 February 2008 | Comments (0)
No Lastminute.com this isn’t going to endear you to me
Lastminute’s adverts sink to a new low…. Tantrums. Sulking. Tears. And that’s just the men. Forgetting Valentine’s Day can make the dreamiest love stories a living nightmare, so make sure you’ve got it sorted with our last chance gifts and… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 14 February 2008 | Comments (4)
13 February 2008
A Period Drama
Unite’s rather wacky but good video on the scandal of Lilets - if you haven’t heard about this until now, watch this and will be explained……. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 13 February 2008 | Comments (0)
12 February 2008
Misuse of language…
No I’m not going to comment on punctuation and grammatical errors on the F Word (as one of the main offenders that would be hypocritical) but rather on the misuse of terms with very gender based implications. Take this morning’s… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 12 February 2008 | Comments (0)
11 February 2008
Feminist Philosophers neatly encapsulate equal pay story
Copied from Feminist Philosophers because, frankly, I couldn’t put it better…. UK Members of parliament are urging action to close the pay gap between men and women. (Currently at 18% for full-time workers and 40% for part-time.) Meanwhile, Birmingham council… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 February 2008 | Comments (0)
More women sentenced to stoning to death for “adultery”
But this time it’s not just a dubious allegation it’s double jeopardy. Iran has surpassed itself with this one. Zohreh Kabiri-niat and her sister Azar have been tried for adultery. The substance of the allegations is that Zohreh’s (seemingly quite… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 February 2008 | Comments (0)
Is it just me…
Or is this just a bit ridiculous? A woman worker on an oil rig will appear in course today over the evacuation of the oil rig over the weekend. Apparently the story goes like this. The woman had a dream… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 February 2008 | Comments (0)
Times they are a-changing…
Australian car dealerships have just been given a wake-up call that women are indeed knowledgable customers. An online car magazine asked for women’s experiences of buying a new car and found that a quarter said they were ignored in showrooms,… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 11 February 2008 | Comments (0)
8 February 2008
I have superpowers - I’m invisible again…
The Telegraph, picking up a story from the Times Higher, is reporting the Women’s Studies is dead. Yet again I find myself in the throes of either invisibility or non-existence. I know Holly is commenting on the laziness of the… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 February 2008
Male Privilege Checklist
Of use to those of us who find ourselves banging our heads on the brickwall of male intransgience - how male privilege operates in 46 easy points. My particular favourites include: 38. If I have a wife or live-in girlfriend,… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 February 2008
Sorry Civitas, were you trying to be insulting or did it just happen?
Whilst the Rowan William’s publicity seeking speech wendles its merry way onwards Civitas today joined the fray on the Radio 4 news programme. Why is this of interest to us? Because their argument was that Sharia law should not be… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 February 2008
Clothing - forward thinking and retrograde
Lets start with the negative shall we? New Zealander Karen Walker has received rave reviews for her collection of clothes for adult women based on childswear and dolls’ clothes. And Edwardian childswear and dolls’ clothes at that. Edwardian times being… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 8 February 2008
6 February 2008
Women’s Health Round-up - all is not rosy
First off is the news that women are opting for Caesarian Section births because they are scared of childbirth. A study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology questioned 496 first-time mothers with a healthy pregnancy at… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 6 February 2008
5 February 2008
Women’s Parliamentary Radio
A new web radio service has been launched. Women’s Parliamentary Radio aims to be the “Women’s Hour of Westminster”. It aims to report fairly and accurately on policy issues of concern to women and their families, broadcasting interviews with… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 February 2008
Sally Anne Bowman Murder Trial Continues
The man suspected of killing teenage model Sally Anne Bowman had admitted to having sex with Bowman’s dead body but denies murdering her. Mark Dixie claims he was inebriated after birthday celebrations where he was angry because his girlfriend hadn’t… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 February 2008
Airbrushing can do this….
Airbrushing, as commonly used in the media can turn Kelly Osborne from this to this . You can listen to the show, The Surgery here…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 5 February 2008
31 January 2008
First Anti-Abortion Amendment Defeated
Abortion Rights reports that the first anti-abortion amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill has been defeated in the House of Lords. The amendment, which would have banned abortion on the grounds of severe foetal abnormality, was defeated 22… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 31 January 2008
Afghani Student Sentenced to Death for Reading About Women's Rights
Todays headlines show both how the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating but also how women’s rights are still seen as a threat. Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, a 23 year old journalism student, has been sentenced to death for downloading and distributing… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 31 January 2008
28 January 2008
End Violence Against Women - UniFem Campaign
Launched back in November but not sure we covered it then. For every signature for the first 100,000 there is a £1 donation promised to Unifem so please, sign it and get your friends to sign it too. So… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 January 2008
India: where class, caste and sexism collide…
India faces many problems as a nation but internal differences reinforce the position of some of the most oppressed. In face of the discrimination faced by some members of society women have banded together to form the Gulabi Gang…. Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 28 January 2008
27 January 2008
Rapist gets Military Honours
This case from America has to raise questions for us all…. James Allen Selby entered the flat of Jenny Bush, gagged and bound her with duct tape and rapes her at knifepoint before fleeing. Bush frees herself, reports the crime… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 27 January 2008
New Scientists reveals sexism in research publishing
According to a story in the Jan 18th edition female scientists are less likely to be published if the peer reviewers know they are female. Gender, nationality and nepotism have also been implicated in decisions for research fellowships. It’s based… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 27 January 2008
16 January 2008
Hollaback Girls
Annoyingly this is a take two entry due to the system eating the last one, so forgive me if it’s shorter and terser than the defunct, disappered original! I am sometimes behind the times (like I hadn’t read Lynne’s excellent… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 16 January 2008
9 January 2008
Quick stats - sexual violence is unusual?
I just put this together quickly for something else put thought it worth sharing here. You know those moments when people claim that violence against women is rare and the majority of men are being harshly and unfairly judged on… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 9 January 2008
Pre-pubescent Brazilians (no not the country…..)
We’ve all seen how children’s clothing has become more and more sexualised, well the next move is apparently waxing for pubescents. Oh yes braxilians for the pre-teens…. girl.au.com, a website for the nine-fifteen year market contains a couple of articles… Read more...Posted by Louise Livesey at 9 January 2008